Division I · Conference USA
Western Kentucky University Baseball
Bowling Green, KY · the Hilltoppers · Western Kentucky University overview
40
Roster
6 over the D-I cap of 34
$1.5M
Team budget
45th percentile in Division I
$36,914
Per roster spot
median $39,211
4
Coaches
1 head · 3 assistant
965
APR
94% of players retained
97%
Admitted
bottom quarter for selectivity
Western Kentucky University fields a baseball team in the Conference USA (NCAA Division I). In 2024–25 the roster carried 40 players, about the median of 40, with 1 head coach and 3 assistants. Team expenses were $1,476,561, about the median of $1.6M — $36,914 per roster spot, lower half of Division I baseball programs. Under the Division I roster cap of 34 in force from 2025-26, that is 6 over — cuts or attrition are likely, though players already on the roster may stay (279 of 306 Division I programs carried more than the cap). The team's multi-year Academic Progress Rate is 965, about the median of 979, with 94% of players retained year to year. The school gave $3,800,875 in athletic aid across its men's teams, about $14,618 per roster spot.
Among Division I baseball programs
Where this program sits against its 306 peers (percentile; the tick is the median).
#170Team budgetof 306 · Division I#165Spend per playerof 306 · Division I#126Roster sizeof 306 · Division I#227APRof 306 · Division I
Team budgets across the division
this programevery Division I baseball program
Roster sizes (cap 34)
this programevery Division I roster
The program
- Roster40 2024–25 season
- Division I roster cap34 6 over last season
- Coaching staff1 head, 3 assistant
- Team expenses$1,476,561 for the year
- Operating expenses$487,502 game-day and travel
- Spend per roster spot$36,914 division median $39,211
- Academic Progress Rate965 multi-year; 952 latest
- Players retained94% year to year
- Eligible99% of player-terms
- Athletic aid, men's teams$3,800,875 school-wide
- Aid per roster spot$14,618 across men's teams
- Recruiting spend, men's$715,751 school-wide
Coaching staff
| Name | Title | |
|---|---|---|
| Marc Rardin head coach | Head Coach | not on file |
| Tyler Herbst | Assistant Coach | On file · sign in |
| Brett Neffendorf | Assistant Coach (Pitching) | not on file |
| Mike Mendoza | Assistant Coach | not on file |
Put Western Kentucky University on a target list, address the whole staff at once, and send each email yourself from Gmail — nothing goes out without you pressing Send.Start your board
Recruiting timing
- Coaches may first contact youAugust 1 before junior year
- Your own emailsAny time the rule limits what coaches send back
- High-school baseball players472,598 2024-25
- Division I roster spots12,211 306 programs
- Odds of a spot1 in 39 2.6% of high-school players hold a Division I roster spot
General NCAA rule for Division I; the baseball recruiting guide has the date for each grad year, the eligibility checklist and what to put in a first email.
About the school
What an athlete asks first — each panel opens the full picture.Campus
Full picture →14,590undergraduates · 16,759 students in all
Women 62% Men 38%
- Setting
- City
- Type
- Public · Doctoral/professional university
- Affiliation
- None
Getting in
Full picture →97%admitted · of 7,720 applicants
SAT middle 50%820 – 1010
ACT middle 50%16 – 20
- Test scores
- Test-optional
- Graduate in 6 yrs
- 56%
Baseball
Full picture →40on the roster · 2024–25 season
Roster vs the D-I cap of 3440
6 over — players already on the roster may stay
Academic Progress Rate965
94% of players kept year to year
- Team expenses
- $1,476,561 $36,914 per roster spot · lower half of Division I
- Coaches
- 1 head · 3 assistant
- Athletic aid, men's teams
- $3,800,875
- Recruiting spend, men's
- $715,751
Cost
Full picture →$12,054net price · after grants, aided first-years
Net price by family income
- Tuition & fees
- $11,436 in-state · $27,000 out
Campus safety
Full picture →0.78violent offences per 1,000 · students a year, 2022–2024
- In residence halls
- 14 burglaries · 25 sex offences over 2022–2024
- Residence-hall fires
- 4 over 2022–2024
Majors
Full picture →20%of bachelor's degrees in business · 27 fields · Associate's, Bachelor's, Doctorate, Master's
Research Western Kentucky University
School pages built around what an athlete needs to know — the program's money and roster room, admissions fit, what a family really pays, majors, campus life and safety.
Baseball program40 on the rosterPeers, percentiles, nearby programs, comparisonsRankingsWhere it standsEvery list this school is on, nationally and in its divisionAdmissions97% admittedSAT/ACT ladders, test policy, graduationCost & aid$12,054 net priceSticker vs net price by family income, athletic aidMajorsBusiness · 20%Every field and program with degrees awardedCampusCity · 14,590Setting, who is on campus, housing costs, servicesCampus safety0.78 violent / 1,000Three years of reported offences against the divisionAthleticsEvery teamThe whole department: every team, staff and aid
Baseball programs within 150 miles
| School | Miles | Roster | Budget | APR | Admitted | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Austin Peay State University Division I · United Athletic Conference | 59 | 39 | $1.7M | 980 | 96% | |
| Trevecca Nazarene University Division II · Gulf South Conference | 61 | 42 | $709k | — | 70% | |
| Vanderbilt University Division I · Southeastern Conference | 61 | 46 | $10M | 988 | 6% | |
| Belmont University Division I · Missouri Valley Conference | 62 | 36 | $1.6M | 987 | 96% | |
| Lipscomb University Division I · Atlantic Sun Conference | 64 | 39 | $1.9M | 978 | 67% | |
| Kentucky Wesleyan College Division II · Great Midwest Athletic Conference | 64 | 48 | $664k | — | 67% | |
| Tennessee Technological University Division I · Southern Conference | 77 | 39 | $1.1M | 993 | 83% | |
| Middle Tennessee State University Division I · Conference USA | 79 | 43 | $1.4M | 993 | 68% | |
| University of Evansville Division I · Missouri Valley Conference | 90 | 36 | $1.8M | 962 | 78% | |
| University of Louisville Division I · Atlantic Coast Conference | 93 | 37 | $5.4M | 993 | 81% | |
| Bellarmine University Division I · Atlantic Sun Conference | 95 | 49 | $1M | — | 94% | |
| Spalding University Division III · St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference | 95 | 44 | $263k | — | 99% |
Other baseball programs in the Conference USA
| School | Roster | Budget | Per player | APR | Compare | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Liberty University 5 over cap | 39 | $2.3M | $58,219 | 980 | vs | |
| Kennesaw State University 6 over cap | 40 | $2.2M | $55,501 | 986 | vs | |
| Jacksonville State University 5 over cap | 39 | $2M | $50,237 | 955 | vs | |
| Missouri State University room for 3 | 31 | $1.9M | $60,535 | 961 | vs | |
| New Mexico State University 9 over cap | 43 | $1.7M | $38,840 | 974 | vs | |
| Florida International University 6 over cap | 40 | $1.6M | $40,763 | 990 | vs | |
| University of Delaware 4 over cap | 38 | $1.5M | $39,125 | 987 | vs | |
| Western Kentucky University 6 over cap | 40 | $1.5M | $36,914 | 965 | vs | |
| Middle Tennessee State University 9 over cap | 43 | $1.4M | $32,738 | 993 | vs | |
| Sam Houston State University 2 over cap | 36 | $1.3M | $36,042 | 979 | vs |
Every Conference USA baseball program · Baseball budgets ranked